Jack The User
by CastielIsMyAngel13
Summary: A look into Jack's past and how he found his way. Jack/ Merritt Friendship
1. Chapter 1

Jack had first gotten into drugs when he was on the streets. He was 16 and in need of money. The person who had taken him in, under his wing, was a dealer. Johnny was nice, or at least at first he was nice. He helped Jack survive, taught him what he needed to know. But at some point, he had convinced Jack to start dealing.

Soon the 16 year old was dealing coke, weed, and pills whenever and to whoever Johnny told him to sell to. Johnny began to make Jack give up the money he made, and made Jack dependent on him. Soon Johnny was forcing Jack to use as well.

By the time he was 17, he was hooked on coke, and other things. Johnny was nearly 30, and was using Jack as his punching bag. The 17 year old boy was scared to runaway from Johnny. He had the clothes he wore, his pack of cards, and a cheap phone. When he wasn't being forced to deal, he was practicing throwing cards, and pick pocketing. He began to stash money in places Johnny wouldn't see. Jack didn't like being a punching bag, and he didn't like being used for sexual acts. In the beginning, he was alright with it, because Johnny had shown romantic interest in him, and then it got abusive, and Jack wanted out but had no where to go, so he stayed.

He met Johnny when he was 15, started dealing for him at 16, and dating him, and at 17, he was using. Jack would play 'find the lady' in central park, making quick cash. He'd pretend to 'bend' spoons with his mind, trying to make a quick buck.

So when he found a tarot card, the card of Death, in his pocket with a date and address, he knew it was somewhere he had to go. He didn't know what to expect, but he knew he needed to get away from Johnny.

However, Johnny found the card, and beat Jack within an inch of his life. His eyes were practically swollen shut, his ribs broken, wrist sprained, and sexually abused. Whatever love he once had for Johnny was gone.

When the day on the card came, Johnny tried to make sure Jack was busy and couldn't go. Jack of course knew Johnny would do this, and planned his exit. He packed a bag and stashed it somewhere overnight, so when morning came and he went out, he would leave and never come back.

He left a note in the kitchen saying, "its over." and quickly got out of the area, and disconnected the phone he had. Once he had his bag, he made his way to the location on his tarot card. Climbing the stairs was hard- his ribs were still broken, weren't set properly and aching quite a bit. It didn't help that Johnny had hit him a lot the night prior. He didn't know what the future held, but it had to be better than the hell he was attempting to escape.

 **A/N: Here's my third NYSM story! I've got more ideas to come! The title is under going a review, and I hope to have the actual name for it soon! Super excited for this one! :P**


	2. Chapter 2

When Jack met the others, he instantly recognized Atlas. He fan boy-ed for a split second and then got the door open for the others. His lungs were killing him, and all he wanted was to sleep for a week, but he didn't know these people. However, they seemed different to him. They weren't the criminal and druggie type he had been hanging around for the last 3 years. They were warm- apart from Danny who was just an asshole.

Merritt had seen the kid walking up, and just knew the kid was troubled. The way he held his bag, the way he walked like he was in pain, and how out of breath he sounded when he talked were immediate signs. Then there was the bruising on his neck and face. Whatever or whoever the kid was running from, was obviously abusive.

He silently took in things about the kid. He was right hand dominant but seemed to be using the left hand more- like he had a hand injury at some point. His clothes were worn down, the nicest thing he had on was the old leather Jacket that smelt like cigarette and cologne. His boots seemed to be falling apart, but well loved- a gift from a loved one a long time ago. His hair was long- showing he hadn't had a hair cut in several weeks but showed he had gotten one awhile ago.

Overall, he could read that the kid had either an abusive parent or an abusive relationship, was tight on money, and trying to read and asses the others- as if they were a constant threat. The kid was not going to trust them easily- if at all. The kid looked as if he was ready to fight or run at a moment's drop.

When they all realized that they were here to work together, to do a heist, they all realized they had to trust each other. Danny and Henley had previously worked together and knew each other well. Merritt was just as much as an unknown as Jack, but Merritt had at least done some shows on a tour in Florida.

The apartment, with some cleaning- which Jack did, Was suitable for all of them to live there. When Merritt watched Jack cleaned, he definitely saw the signs of an abuse victim. It broke his heart, the kid looked to be barely in his 20s, if that.

The kid had scrubbed each room clean until his hands were raw. The bathroom and kitchen were by far the worst, but he got them decent enough to be used. Merritt was definitely impressed. The bedrooms- there was 3, were small but livable. Jack opted to sleep out on the couch because, "Henley was a woman and needed her own room.", Merritt was, in jack's nicest words and tone, "Old and needed his own space." and Jack knew Danny would demand his own room, and let the other man have it.

Jack was grateful to have a roof over his head, he'd be happy to sleep on the floor, anything was better than the streets. His biggest fear was Johnny finding him. Despite leaving Johnny, Jack still struggled with sobriety. He couldn't give up the coke, he was addicted. Alcohol made it easier to sleep- and prior to his new life, it made the bruises and broken bones hurt less.

Merritt of course saw the signs. Once upon a time ago, he struggled with a cocaine addiction. He knew Jack was an addict, he saw the mood swings, and the often trips to the bathroom- the toilet never once flushing. He never said anything, it wast his place.


	3. Chapter 3

Soon the horsemen were almost ready to pull off their Vegas show. Jack, turned 18 in 5 weeks but had no plans on telling anyone that. His ribs and bruises eventually healed and faded, leaving him healthier.

Despite his new life, Jack had nightmares all the time. The kid rarely slept. He'd wake up crying, but he never told anyone what it was about if they saw him crying. Merritt put things together however. Danny who was egotistical, and a bit of a dick all the time, left Jack practically trembling some days. If he was especially nasty and chewed Jack out, Henley or Merritt would find the kid either locked in the bathroom, or on the rooftop. Whoever hurt Jack, Jack saw them in Danny- and Danny never saw it. Danny didn't see how the kid would flinch and expect a beating.

After some debating, Merritt decided to talk to the kid and get to know him better. He learned that the kid was insanely soft spoken, and the only time he was noticed was when he made him self noticeable-otherwise the kid blended in.

Right before things were set to happen, Jack had seen Johnny in town. Johnny was livid. He smacked Jack so hard he had a bruise. The older man then grabbed Jack by the throat and threatened him- either come home with him or die. Jack went home and received a horrible beating. Johnny had hit him in the face repeatedly, broke a rib again, and left him covered in bruises, before putting cigarettes out in Jack's arm, as well as cutting the kid with a pocket knife, before bedding the kid against his will.

By the time Jack was able to move, he had hundreds of missed calls- which he would have known if Johnny hadn't smashed the thing. Grabbing his coat, he tried to sneak out and got caught. Taking a vase, he threw it at Johnny. He had to fight his way out. Johnny was winning, but Jack took a coffee mug and smashed it over Johnny's head. Once he was out cold, Jack ran for the door. It was 4am but Jack had to get home. He ran, walked and practically crawled home. He was in so much pain he didn't know how he was still awake.

Getting home, he got in the door and passed out on the couch, barely breathing. Merritt came out of his room to see Jack on the couch, bloody and bruised. He knocked on Henley and Danny's door before going to get ice and some clean damp rags.

Jack was out the entire time Merritt and Henley cleaned Jack's face up. It was swollen with various shades of black, purple, blue and yellow. They iced everything they could, and changed his clothes. They saw the rest of his bruises, and instantly knew the kid had gone through hell. They saw the burn marks, and the new and old scars. They cleaned him up, dressed him, and then moved him to Merritt's bed.

Four hours later, Jack finally woke up, disoriented and scared. He felt that he wasn't in the same clothes- these smelt like Danny's. He also then realized he was in Merritt's bed- he himself usually slept on the couch or the floor, and this was much more comfy. Sitting up slowly, he groaned. His head was pounding, his ribs ached and his ass, it hurt with every bit of movement.

Merritt knocked on the door- hearing Jack get up.

"Hey Jack-O. Can I come in?"

"yeah" he groaned.

Merritt walked in slowly. He knew that whatever had happened to Jack, it wasn't pleasant.

"How you feeling?"

"Like Death." Jack whispered.

"What happened?"

"I…Its hard to talk about."

"Jack…you've been knocked out for nearly two days, You have bruises everywhere, burn marks, you came in bloody. What happened? Who hurt you?"

"I…if I tell you…its going to change things."

"Jack, No matter what you're going to say next, You're still my friend, I respect you, and I care about you."

"I…He… its complicated…we're…we were together…but I left…"

"Jack, did your ex do this because you left him?" Merritt asked. He had concluded it was an Ex, due to the way he spoke and how he sat uncomfortable to talk about it.

"…Yes…"

"Did he hurt you when you were with him?"

"yes."

"oh Jack." Merritt said softly before gently hugging Jack.

Jack began to cry, his emotions catching up to him.

"He took me in off the streets, it was alright, and then he began his…abuse…nearly three years of it…and then I found an out and took it. He couldn't find me…until yesterday."

"Jack, how old were you when you met him?"

"I was just over 15. My mom died when I was 6, I didn't last long in the foster care system- I got beat up in every home I went to, so I ran away when I was 14. I hated the system. I met Johnny, he was so kind, he cared. Then he made me deal for him, I didn't have a choice. Then he began hitting me and other things. I…when I got the Tarot card…He beat me so much that he broke my ribs, sprained my wrist and tried to kill me…When the day came, I ran from him…met you guys and never looked back." He said through the tears.

Merritt rubbed his back gently. "Jack, how old are you?"

"Don't be mad…I'm 17…18 in a few weeks."

Merritt took a deep breath, he had suspected the kid was young-but not that young. He looked a bit older which did help with the assumption.

"shit kid, how many weeks?"

"like 5."

"So basically after we do this whole heist thing?"

"pretty much."

"Johnny…Jack, you can send him to jail for what he did."

"Its not as simple as it sounds…I cant snitch on him…If I did…let's just say, the others wouldn't be happy."

"What others?"

"the ones in his gang."

"shit Jack, what were you in?"

"Sometimes…I don't even know. I wanted out, so I left. Johnny didn't like that, and well you see what happened."

"The show is next week, are you going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine, all I need is the swelling in my face to go down and some makeup and it'll be taken care of."

"I'll go get you some more ice." Merritt said and got up. Getting Ice, he faced the others and said softly, "someone from his past did this, someone who wasn't happy he left them."

Henley wanted to go out and beat whoever hurt Jack. Sure the kid could be a bit annoying, he was always looking for validation, but now with what they knew, it made sense. The kid had been abused, and conditioned to how whoever this person was, wanted him.

Going back to Jack, Merritt sighed. There was still a lot unknown about Jack, and the facts he just learned, didn't help, they were only puzzle pieces, and He didn't know what the full picture would look like.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time of the Vegas show, most of the bruising in Jack's face had gone down a significant amount. He ate pineapple, bananas, iced it all the time, and managed to get the bruises to go from Black to blue and green. With some foundation and color correcting, he looked normal. He wore a nice black dress shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. Most of the bruises were covered. The handprint on his neck had yet to fade, and despite how much foundation they put on it, it still showed through.

The show went as planned, Jack felt really good about it. The next afternoon, the FBI came to take them in. All the makeup he had been wearing the day previously had been washed off, all of his bruises on display. Walking through the Casino Lobby, was something he really did not want to do, but he had no choice.

As they all sat being detained, Jack slept with his feet kicked up. He was super glad that he didn't have an Coke on him or in his bag- getting caught with that by the FBI would ensure his detainment and arrest. He'd done it all before the show- he'd wandered off shortly before they were to go on stage. By the time he was done on stage, he was starting to come down, and was glad the show was over.

Sitting in the FBI's detainment room was definitely nerve wracking, so he slept with his feet up on the table. No one was going to talk to him, so he might as well make use of the nap time. He was so confident that they weren't going to come talk to him, so he fell into a deep sleep- He'd been there 3 hours already and no one had spoken to him.

Unfortunately for him, he ended up having a nightmare, which was really more of a flashback. The last 3 years had given him PTSD, and he wasn't handling it well at all. Agent Dylan Rhodes walked into the room, right as Jack was at the peak of his nightmare.

"Stop…please….Johnny….no….I'm sorry….stop….please." he cried in his sleep.

Dylan dropped a file on the table, which startled Jack awake. He literally jumped up, fell over and then proceeded to freak out. He'd forgotten where he was, and had been restrained, which hadn't gone over well until he remembered he was in the FBI and there was an FBI agent watching him have a panic attack.

"So, who's Johnny?" The agent asked.

"Fuck you." Jack growled from his place on the floor, he had yet to move.

"Jack Wilder, age 17, ran away from his foster home in the Bronx at the age of 14. Suspected Dealer at 16, Sitting in the FBI at 17. How's it feel? You do realize you wont be going back out there to your friends. You're going to be shipped back to New York and put back in the system."

"There's no point. I'm 18 in 2 weeks."

"Who gave you the bruises?"

"Leave me alone."

"Was it this Johnny? You were having a nightmare weren't you?"

"so what if I was, what's it to you. I'm hear because you think we stole the money using Magic. So unless the FBI wants to admit they think Magic is real, you have to let me go."

"if we let you go, its only to go back to the system."

Jack fought with the handcuffs. "Hell No! I'd rather die than end up in another home. Its always the same, get beat up, get sent to the next "family". Family is a lie, all they do is abuse you, and manipulate you. My friends care about me. Let me go." He snarled as he fought with the handcuffs more. Soon he was out of them and standing across from the agent.

Another FBI man came in, and said Jack could go. Jack stormed out without a hesitation. As he walked out, he felt the Vegas heat hitting him. It was definitely 118 outside. Getting in the car, he remained silent.

Meanwhile, Dylan was "fuming" about the horsemen being set free for now. He sent a message off and the receiver sent back, "It will be taken care of."

Johnny, who had been knocked unconscious for a day- Jack had hit him pretty hard, woke up to hear that Jack had became famous. So what any manipulative, abusive boyfriend, would do, was ruin it for Jack.

He got a twitter, and began to bash Jack.

"Jack is nobody. Not sure why he's on stage."

"he sucks at magic, he always has."

"i've been telling him to quit that stupid shit for the last 3 years."

"He's not even that good in bed, all he does is cry."

"that kid does more drugs then your favorite pop stars."

What he didn't expect was the DEA at his door busting it in. They arrested him on scene. He was read his rights, and told he was being arrested for selling and distributing drugs, Domestic Abuse, Statuary Rape, and possession of unregistered firearms.

By the time he got to the jail, he was processed and sent to Prison within the day- Someone high up had made sure of it. By the time he was processed by the prison, all the inmates knew what he was in for. A lot of them don't like guys who abuse their partners/children. His cellmate, a man with the nickname, "Bear". By morning, he was bruised, sore and hating his life. He swore that if he ever saw Jack again, the kid would pay.

Meanwhile, Jack was already on his way to New Orleans when he was informed that Johnny had gone to prison. Not having time to process it, he suppressed his emotions to deal with them at another time. Continuing on with the show, he found some Coke, did a few lines and went forward with everything. When the FBI made themselves known, and it was time for their escape, Jack was having chest pain from all the adrenaline. Running, they all parted ways and got away. Getting back to New York, he felt a moment of calmness, and then remembered the next part.

He went to the bathroom where he had his stash hidden, and did a few lines. Today was the day he died.


	5. Chapter 5

The buzz of his high made him feel invincible, but he still had nerves. When the others made their escape, Jack let himself feel for a split second. He was going to miss this apartment, it had felt like the only home he had ever known. Hearing the agent come in, he hid at the top of the door in the corner, ready to fight his way out.

Jumping on the agent, he tangled up his jacket and than fed it into the garage disposal. The other agent came to help, but ended up fighting Jack the whole time. They ran all over the apartment. Jack got the walkie talkie, impersonate the agents voice, and then kept fighting. When the agent pulled the gun, Jack froze. While he had been at the end of the gun before, it was never at the hand of a fed, it was always Johnny, or some other lowlife.

Picking up the cards, he then threw them at the agent. Grabbing some papers, he then made a run for it, going down the laundry shoot. Once outside, he stole a car, and drove off towards the bridge. It was there that his anxiety sky rocketed. Either it worked, or he fucked up and actually died.

Watching the car in his review mirror, he saw the car identical to the one he was driving, go up in flames. Driving to the safe house he had been instructed to, he finally relaxed a bit, but not fully, he still had work to do.

He saw the world mourn for him- they all cried on twitter for the magician they had fallen in love with, not the Jack they knew. He could only imagine what Johnny was feeling in prison, but he hoped it wasn't bad. At the end of the day, Jack was grateful that Johnny had helped him, but it didn't excuse or make it okay.

Doing the last of his task, he waited until the FBI was paying attention to the others, and he broke into the safe. Loading all the cash into his bag, he quickly got all of it out, into his van, and to the parking garage where Thaddeus's Range Rover was parked. Using a universal key fob, he unlocked the car. Filling it up to the brim, he worked quickly into the evening. There was no way he could get caught doing this. Once the job was done, he drove off and waited by central park. As he sat there, he let the events of the last week hit him.

Jack Wilder was dead, or at least in the eyes of the FBI, they had a body, they thought it was Jack. Playing with his phone, he read the news articles about him. Soon the world knew he was 17, homeless, involved with the huge drug bust in the bronx- he was the boyfriend of Johnny Christ. As he sat there, he felt a lot of emotions. His body still hurt from the beating, but mentally, he was exhausted. He still hadn't processed anything that happened, and it was truly tearing him apart.

Right before they left for Vegas, he'd taken 5 showers, and still never felt clean. No matter how much he scrubbed, he felt Johnny's hands on him. As he sat outside the park, he wanted nothing more than to break down, but he knew he didn't have time, he needed to go meet with the others- he hadn't seen them since before the bridge, yesterday afternoon. Pulling himself back together, he got out of the van, and headed to the entrance of Central Park.

He easily hoped the fence, not wanting to deal with lock picking at the moment. Sitting in the grass, he waited for the others to show. It wasn't too long of a wait because he heard them coming.

"It's locked." he heard Henley say.

"haven't you heard, nothings ever locked." He said with a smile.

Unlocking it, he let them in. Walking to the center, they stopped at Lionel Shrike's tree. They heard a noise and then headed to the carousel. Going forward, they saw Agent Rhodes. He welcomed them to the eye.

They all ran into the carousel, and smiled happily, they had made it in.


	6. Chapter 6

Johnny sat in prison, he had been beaten by other prisoners. Soon word got around that the kid he'd been involved with, died in a car accident. Johnny being the stupid asshole he was, praised his former 'lover's' death. That didn't go over well with a lot of the inmate population. It didn't take very long at all, By the next morning, guards found Johnny dead in his cell.

When it hit the media, Jack watched the news reporter talk about Johnny. They talked about his prison sentence, what he was arrested for, his connection to Jack and such. Jack sat in a room-they had moved apartments and he had gotten his own room this time. It was much, but it was more than enough. Sitting on the bed, he tried to reign in his emotions.

He had yet to deal with any of the events that have happened. His bruises were now fading, but his ribs still ached. The fight with Dylan in the apartment had cracked his rib, which had him now bandaged around the waist, trying to get the rib to set and heal. Mentally, he was all over the place. He'd been forced into sexual acts with Johnny before, but the last time, it was the worst. Johnny hurt him in every way he could, Jack didn't know how he made it through the last week and a half but he did it.

Merritt had left Jack have his own space for the last few days. The kid had barely left his room, he hadn't been eating, and showering. It was on the 3rd day that Merritt went in to check on the kid. He found him laying in bed, windows shut closed, and no light.

"Jack buddy, I think you should get up and take a shower, and have some lunch."

"No thank you."

"Jack, you haven't left this room in 3 days."

"Okay…"

"Kid, I dont know what is going through your head, but you at least need to get up and eat."

"I'm not hungry."

Merritt sighed, and put Jack into a state. He then asked what was going on.

"I dont know how to feel. One hand I'm glad Johnny went to prison, the other, a part of me loved him for at least a moment. Then I heard he died…I lost one of the last people who i've known for the longest time. I knew him 4 years, that's the longest I've known someone. My mom died when I was 6, I'v been in and out of foster homes since then. I ran away with Johnny, he… he made me feel loved, and special…and then he hit me. But he's gone…I don't know how to feel."

"Jack, how many times has he hurt you?"

"He beat me off and on over the last 3 years, and forced himself on me many times….this last time being one of the worst."

"have your coped with what happened?"

"No. I cant sleep, I see him, I feel his hands, hitting me, violating me…I…I hear his voice…everything he said…I suppressed it since it happened…but its all I see when I close my eyes, when I sleep…I just want it to stop."

Merritt saw the kid on the edge, and was trying to toss him that life line to bring him back from the edge of sanity. "I think you should talk to someone. There's places you can call anonymously, and talk about it. The more you suppress it, the worse it gets."

"Ill think about it."

Merritt finally convinced the kid to come out of his room, take a shower, and to eat some food. He then offered the kid his phone to make the phone call. Jack was hesitant but he did take the phone before retreating to his room.

Two hours later, Jack returned the phone, but did not make any eye contact. All Merritt could do was hope the kid was going to be okay, even if it wasn't just yet.

Jack Called the helpline many times and eventually was able to move forward and past the experiences with Johnny. He couldn't give up the coke, it made him feel so good. Between the coke, Cigarettes and alcohol, he kept himself busy watching movies all the time, and learning more card tricks online.

Merritt was worried for the kid, he's lost a lot of weight, and was shit at holding a conversation lately. At most he acknowledged you, he couldn't remember the last time the kid said something. He understood addiction, he himself had done a lot of coke in his younger days, but he quit it and moved on, it did nothing good, and it was a money drain. He debated it back and forth, and decided that it was best to tell Dylan about Jack's drug issue.

Dylan then talked to someone in the eye, and they had Jack get help for his addiction, or get kicked out of the Eye. It was hard, but within three months, the kid was finally completely sober and clean, they let him keep smoking so he would at least have something to use to cope while quitting drinking and cocaine.

In the long run, Jack knew they were looking out for him, but it didn't take him any happier. When they finally got back to preparing for the next show, they were introduced to Lula. Jack was uncomfortable around her, especially with her comments about him being attractive. The longer it went on, the more he spent time around Merritt. He learned whatever he could from the other man. Danny still made Jack wary at times, but overall he was a lot better around the other man.

When the day came that Jack was found out to be alive, he was nervous, he knew the world would be angry. So he sucked it up, and carried on. Then an idea hit him. Slowly but surely he wrote a book. It was about growing up in the foster care system, being abused by the families, and running away from it. He then talked about what it was like to live on the streets, and how he met Johnny. The story was long, but it went through the details of being beaten, and overcoming the abuse. It then went on to talk about his substance abuse, being the youngest member of one of the world's best magic act, and what it was like having to fake his death, and how he felt about it. Of course once it was done, he asked the eye for permission before he submitted it to be released as an actual book.

He couldn't do in person interviews, he was after all on the run, so he did them all via sykpe. He would bounce the signal off of a lot of satellites so that he could never be found. The book was more successful than he thought it would be. People finally got a glimpse into the life of Jack Wilder, and the Jack many people knew on the streets: Jack the Addict


End file.
